One collector’s research is putting some old tickets in a new light.
Jeff Prizner, who dated a Babe Ruth photo to his rookie season awhile back, turned his attention to some 1916 World Series tickets and came up with some important new information.
Prizner looked into some grandstand tickets from the Red Sox-Dodgers series and discovered they’re actually three game passes for the games at Braves Field in Boston.
Old newspaper clippings provided the gateway to learning that the Red Sox offered those passes at $3 per game ($9 total).
The research means that this particular type of ticket was in use for Ruth’s World Series pitching debut in which he worked 13 shutout innings in a Game 2 victory, an effort that would extend to 29 scoreless in 1918.
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A glove handed to a ballplaying Los Angeles kid 65 years ago turned out to be one that was once used by Sandy Koufax, possibly the first he used during the Dodgers’ inaugural season on the west coast.
In May of 1958, the glove was given to Gary Wong by a friend who worked at the Los Angeles Coliseum and snuck it out of the ballpark so Wong could finally have a glove suitable for a lefthander.
Recently authenticated by PSA and refurbished, it’s the headline item in an upcoming auction by The Memorabilia Network.
The minimum bid will be $150,000 when the auction opens next week.
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Kansas City Royals infielder Bobby Witt Jr. has a new deal to be PSA’s first brand ambassador.
The 22-year-old former first round draft pick is a collector who collaborated with Topps on a card set last year.
“One trend we have loved seeing within the collecting space in recent years is a rise in participation by professional athletes,” says Collectors CEO Nat Turner. “This is great not only for the health of the hobby, but also in terms of helping collectors feel a genuine connection with the athletes whose cards and items they are chasing after. Bobby being an active, authentic and passionate hobbyist himself makes this a great match.”
Alongside cards of marquee quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, Witt has begun curating a high-end showcase of his own cards from an expanding and sought-after catalog. He’ll participate in various content initiatives with PSA.
“Growing up, I was always collecting cards and have great memories of going to the local card shop on weekends to see what I could snag. It’s something I really enjoy still doing today,” he remarked.
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Collectors will pay good money for original copies of the 1927 biography Ty Cobb, The Idol of Baseball Fandom, written by Sverre O. Braathen. When privately held copies exchange hands today they typically sell for hundreds of dollars each, and often more in very good condition. Rare signed copies bring four-figure prices.
The book has been out of print for almost a century and copies are very difficult to find even in reference libraries.
Now, though, the Ty Cobb Museum in his hometown of Royston, GA, is publishing a reprinted edition, edited and annotated by Dr. William R. Cobb, a member of its Board of Advisors.
The new paperback edition sells for $21.99, with proceeds going to the museum.
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